Hope & a Canoe

by Michele M. Reynolds

  Tember decided that if she had to jump out of a moving RV, on the highway in traffic, she would. She couldn’t allow them to take her and leave her in Texas. Her mind tried to formulate a plan, but her head would not allow her to concentrate. She tried to think how far it was from Maine to Texas. When her head was clear, she could estimate how many hours it would take to go to any state, but her mind would not allow her to access complete thoughts. Plus, she realized her efforts were useless because she had no idea how long they had been driving.

  Then she heard her grandmother ask, “How long until we get there?”

  “Since we took this detour, by tomorrow night,” her grandfather answered.

  Tember was determined to break free by daylight.

  25

  Tember had fallen asleep again because when she woke, the sun was rising. Her grandmother snored in the back bedroom, and the RV was still. Every once in a while, Tember felt a car drive by them and shake the RV. She guessed they were parked next to a highway.

  She pulled at her handcuffs. She was still firmly attached to the couch. Her grandfather stirred in the driver’s seat. His breathing sounded heavy, and she decided he must be sleeping too. Her thoughts drifted to the previous night, and she realized that today was the day to try to leave her grandparents.

  She would be leaving with nothing to her name because they had all her money. She could not believe her grandparents were driving her to Texas, but she remembered her comment to her grandparents about her going to the police. She realized she hadn’t given them much of a choice.

  She thought about her phone and looked across the room in the faded light. The bag inside where the phone had been was missing from the table, and it wasn’t on the bench. A closer look revealed that the bag was now on the floor. Tember slowly sat up, reaching out with her foot. The bag was almost within reach. She stood and stealthily wiggled the couch from the wall. The slightest sound disturbed the morning air. She turned and again reached out with her foot. The paper bag crinkled against her sneaker. She smiled and pushed down. With her foot, she slid the paper bag to her.

  When the bag was close enough, she reached down and found her phone. She pulled it out and saw that it was off. She pushed the power button. It powered up for a second, and then five seconds later it powered down. She shoved it into her back pocket. She wanted to have a phone with her when she ran today. She nudged the bag back across the floor with her foot. Then she stood and pushed the couch back to the wall.

  Judging by the amount of light inside the RV, Tember guessed it was 8:00 a.m. when her grandparents stirred. Her plan was to make a break for it the moment her grandmother un-cuffed her. This would happen when Tember asked to go to the bathroom. She had decided to ask to go when the RV was stationary, but she promised herself that she would jump even if the RV was moving.

  Her grandmother slunk into the room and Tember asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?”

  “Once your grandfather starts driving.”

  “But I have to go now,” Tember said.

  “Too bad,” her grandmother said. “Hold it.”

  “But–” Tember started.

  “You heard her!” her grandfather yelled from the front of the RV.

  Tember sat up and looked out the window. There was nothing but sand for as far as she could see. She realized this was not the place to run away. She needed somewhere closer to civilization.

  “Let’s go then,” her grandmother said as she un-cuffed Tember from the couch and then cuffed her to herself. “To the bathroom.”

  Tember looked out the window again. Not only was the landscape desolate, but there were also no cars around. She went to the bathroom. It felt good to stand, walk, and stretch. On her way back to the couch, she took her time and loathed the thought of having to be chained to the couch again.

  “Where are we going?” Tember asked. “You planning to have me cuffed forever?”

  “Never you mind that, and where we’re going you don’t need to be cuffed. You won’t get far if you decide to run,” her grandmother answered.

  “This what you want for your granddaughter? For her to be a prisoner?” Tember asked. “For what, money?”

  “You’ll understand when you’re our age. It’s not easy making a living. We deserve to be taken care of,” her grandmother answered.

  “I think that I’m pretty smart and I know I won’t ever understand what you’re doing. You’re kidnapping,” Tember said. “Kidnapping.”

  “Enough,” her grandmother said as she re-cuffed Tember to the couch.

  Tember looked out the window and watched the never-ending sandscape roll past them. She was afraid that there wouldn’t be another chance to escape. Her mouth felt dry, but she refused to drink anything in the presence of her grandparents. Her vision became blurry, and she realized her eyes had filled with tears. A tear rolled down her cheek. She reached her tongue out to catch it. The tear tasted like pure salt.

  Her grandmother had left her again and returned to her bedroom. It sounded as though she was rummaging through drawers. She came out with a stack of magazines.

  “Here, keep yourself busy.” She dropped a pile on the end of the couch. In the stack were periodicals, crosswords, word finds, and puzzles.

  Tember decided that was the nicest thing her grandmother had ever done for her. Inside one of the magazines was a pen.

  26

  Jeremy and Grace sat outside the Mason, Texas, post office. They had driven two days straight, only stopping for gas. They were high on caffeine and adrenaline. Grace looked over at her dad, who was busy admiring himself in his new cowboy hat in the mirror.

  “Really, Dad?” Grace said.

  “What? I happen to look good in this thing. I have to blend in,” Jeremy said. “Anyway, they know what I look like. I don’t want to scare them off.”

  “What if they don’t show up today?” Grace said. “They can show up tomorrow. Do we just wait? What if Tember isn’t with them? What if she’s somewhere else?”

  “Whoa, calm down. One thing at a time. We’ll stick to the plan.”

  “Do you think the woman at the post office will follow our plan?” Grace asked.

  “I gave her two hundred dollars. She better.”

  Grace took another sip of her soda, and her stomach lurched. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten, and she lost count of the number of sodas she had consumed. Her head ached, and despite the air-conditioned truck, the August sun blasted through the windshield. It made Grace feel malleable.

  Jeremy and Grace positioned their truck in the parking lot in order to have a good vantage point. They could see south and north on the only state highway in and out of town. Jeremy stared north and Grace south. They both stared down at Gracie's ipad as they surveyed he surrounding roads in town. Tember’s grandparents’ RV pulling a Buick snuck into the lot next to them. Grace’s heart lurched, and she froze as if a snake stared her down from the dashboard. She hoped that Tember was in the RV, and she hoped she was unharmed.

  Then Grace saw them. First, she saw Tember’s grandmother. To any other person, Tember’s grandmother might look like any other elderly person with a sour puss expression, but Grace knew better. She knew a cold heart was beating within that person. Then a chill ran through her when she saw Tember’s grandfather. He was bigger than Grace had imagined. His leathery skin seemed to crumble as he squinted in the intense sunlight. He threw a cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a silver, flip-top lighter.

  Tember’s grandmother grabbed her purse off her seat and walked across the street to the post office. Tember’s grandfather went back to the other side of the RV.

  “Okay, sweetie. Like we planned, you with grandmother and me with grandfather. Looks like he’s staying,” Jeremy said.

  “If the side door’s locked, it looked like she didn’t lock the passenger’s door. Good luck,” Grace said.

  “Observant. Good job.”

  They both exited the truck at the same time
. The Texas heat hit them hard and almost sent them to their knees. Grace steadied herself against the truck. The air was as thick as mud, and she wasn’t sure if she could make it the distance to the post office. Grace hurried toward the post office but not before she took a look at her dad. His looked dazed, as if he had just opened a hot oven and was surprised by the radiating heat.

  By the time Grace made it into the post office, Tember’s grandmother stood in line with one person in front of her. Grace walked over to an antique, round counter space in the middle of the lobby. She pulled out a few envelopes and pretended to address them. She had tucked her hair under a baseball cap in hopes that Tember's grandmother would not recognize her.

  “Hi, I have a piece of mail arriving here for me,” Tember’s grandmother said. “It’s under the name Jenny.”

  “Hmm, let me look,” the postmaster said as she typed into the computer. “Can you tell me more about the letter? Is it any kind of special delivery?”

  “Yes, it’s certified mail,” Tember’s grandmother said.

  The postmaster answered, “Certified mail? We don’t get that very often anymore. Let me look.”

  Grace smiled. The postmaster was stalling the grandparents just like Jeremy had asked her to do. She was good at it, too, like a natural.

  “Yes, do you have it?” her grandmother asked.

  The postmaster answered, “I think we do. What was the name? Jenny something?”

  “Yes, I’m Jenny Streeter, and I’m kind of in a hurry. Can you please find it?”

  “You’ll need to be patient. I’m the only one working the front counter today. I can’t do everything,” the postmaster said, raising her voice.

  Her grandmother looked around the post office, seeing Grace as only a person in the post office. Her grandmother pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. She then leaned on the counter and ran her hands through her short gray hair. She looked at the clerk. “Can you please–”

  “Okay, Miss, okay,” the postmaster said.

  Grace looked at her phone. There was no message from Jeremy. He was supposed to call her when the coast was clear. A lump formed in Grace’s throat. Jeremy had a handcuff key, a knife, and bolt cutters in case Tember was cuffed, chained, or tied up.

  A few minutes went by, and the postmaster had not returned with the check.

  Tember’s grandmother turned to Grace and asked, “Can you believe this place? So slow. No wonder they call it snail mail.”

  Grace smiled, nodded, and looked down at the envelopes she was pretending to address.

  “ID please,” the postmaster asked when she returned.

  “ID?” the grandmother asked. “Oh, okay.” She rummaged in her purse and came up with a Pizza King card.

  “What is this?” the postmaster asked.

  “ID,” Tember’s grandmother answered.

  The postmaster handed back the card and said, “Valid ID, please.”

  Tember’s grandmother rummaged again through her bag, came out with a blue rectangular paper, and handed it to the postmaster.

  Grace’s phone vibrated and jolted her. The text was from Jeremy and it read, She’s not here. Come back. Grace read the words She’s not here over and over and felt shocked.

  “A social security card?” the postmaster asked.

  Grace waved for the postmaster to give Tember’s grandmother the envelope, and Grace exited the building. Grace walked out dumbfounded and forgot to prepare herself for the blast of heat. The thickness of the air took away her breath. She saw her dad’s truck off in the distance and sat down on the curb. Before she knew it, he had driven curbside and escorted her into the truck. The cold air-conditioning hit her like a slap as she sat on the passenger seat.

  “Gracie, Gracie,” Jeremy said. “Drink some water. Here, Gracie.”

  Jeremy shoved a water bottle into her hand as he pulled away from the post office. She stared blankly out the window as she struggled to take the cap off the water. Water splashed on her hand.

  “Gracie, the cap is already off. Drink, just drink,” Jeremy said.

  Grace put the bottle against her lips and took a few gulps. She felt the water slide down her throat. Her eyes started to water, and then she placed the bottle in the cup holder.

  “I checked the whole place. I even looked in the compartment under the RV. She wasn’t there,” Jeremy said.

  “Stop the truck. Stop!” Grace ordered.

  “What is it?” Jeremy came to a stop a half a block from the post office.

  Grace opened the door, and the heat hit her again. This time she paid it no attention. She jogged back to the post office in time to reach Tember’s grandmother, who was already opening the envelope that held the fake check. As Grace reached her, the grandmother clung to the check like a kid to a teddy bear.

  “Excuse me,” Grace said. “My dad and I are looking for a good scenic route to take. You know, we want the ones with all the vendors on the side of the road. We came from the north from that route there. Did you travel in from the north or the south?”

  “Sorry, we came from the north too. We took this road here,” she answered. “I’ve been driving these highways for years. Nothing much changes, nothing to see.” She walked away from Grace.

  Grace watched her walk across the street and to the parking lot. In the distance, Grace saw Tember’s grandfather leaning against the RV and looking in her direction. Grace jogged after her.

  “What did you do with her?” Grace called.

  Tember’s grandmother stopped and turned around. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “What did you do with Tember?” Grace said. “I know you did something with her. What did you do with her?”

  “Jenny? Who are–” the grandmother started to say. She looked Grace up and down, and her face grew into an impossibly large frown. “You’re her lesbian lover. How did you...how did you find us?”

  “Where is she?” Grace demanded.

  “Matt, start up the RV!” her grandmother said as she walked swiftly toward the RV.

  Her grandfather threw down his cigarette and hurried to the driver’s side. Grace kept stride with Tember’s grandmother.

  “Where is she?” Grace demanded.

  Tember’s grandmother turned. The cold look in her eyes sent chills through Grace.

  She said, “She was ashamed. You should be ashamed too. She took all her money and left. She left and she’ll never be back. She’ll never be with someone like you.”

  Tember’s grandmother hauled herself into the passenger seat, and the RV pulled out of the parking lot and headed south. Jeremy’s truck pulled up beside Grace.

  “Sweetheart, get in,” Jeremy said. “What the hell? What happened to the plan?”

  “We didn’t find her,” Grace said.

  “Get in,” Jeremy repeated. “Gracie, get in.”

  Grace walked around to the passenger’s side and climbed into the truck. Without looking, she reached down and grabbed her half-drunk bottle of water. She gulped down the rest, and while still in a trance, she threw the empty over her shoulder.

  “Grace,” Grace said.

  “What?” Jeremy asked.

  “Please call me Grace.”

  After a few minutes passed, Grace told Jeremy what Tember’s grandmother had told her. Jeremy said he felt sure the grandmother was a liar. He told Grace that he searched the whole RV, while the grandfather stood outside the whole time smoking. Then he revealed the most interesting information of all. There were handcuffs attached to the couch.

  27

  Streams of blood formed in the sink as Tember ran her hands under the water. She looked up at the faded mirror and saw the left side of her face was scraped and swollen. Sand peppered her brown hair, and a sunburned face stared back at her. She grabbed a paper towel and patted her knuckles. The brown towel was drenched red within a few seconds. She pulled back the paper and saw that her stitches had completely ripped open.

  She cranked the handle on the paper towel dis
penser with her uninjured hand, and then she wrapped her hand tightly in a wad of paper towels. She glanced down at her knees and saw that gravel and dirt had embedded in the fresh cuts. She would deal with those wounds later. First, she had to find a way to charge her phone long enough to get a message to Grace and then keep moving before her grandparents found her.

  A woman and a little, blonde hair girl walked into the bathroom. The woman clutched the child to her and then corralled her into the stall farthest from Tember. The woman stood outside the stall, staring at the floor. Tember gave a sheepish smile and ran her hand through her disheveled hair.

  “Excuse me. I was wondering if you have a phone charger that would fit this?” Tember held up her phone.

  The woman answered, “No, sorry.”

  “I’m sorry. I know I look horrible. My boyfriend threw me out of his car and stranded me here. I just need to call a friend to pick me up. I have no money, and I don’t know her number. It’s on the phone,” Tember said.

  “I’m sorry,” the woman repeated and then called to her girl. “Hurry up, sweetie.”

  “I’m pooping!” the little girl called back.

  Tember chuckled. “Okay, thanks anyway.”

  Tember returned to her gaze to the mirror. She knew how horrible she looked to the woman. Then she bent over and tended to her knees. When she touched her kneecaps, she winced. The toilet flushed, and she heard the squeak of the door.

  “Olivia, let’s go now,” the mother said as she tried to push the little girl out the door and far away from Tember.

  “I have to wash my hands!” Olivia said as she raced to the sink.

  The little girl looked up at Tember, and piercing blue eyes stared at her. Tember couldn’t help but think about Grace. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “You got a boo-boo?” Olivia asked and Tember nodded. “It’s okay to cry. I cried when I fell off my bike. My mommy kissed it and made it better. Why don’t you have your mommy kiss you? Where’s your mommy?”